Conference napalm::guitar

    If you're going the major overhaul route, and you say the guitar
    is worth a great deal to you, then chances are you'll have to swing for
    a lot more than just p-ups, bridge, pots, and swithes.  Lets just say,
    you should swing for a lot more....sounds to me like you want to invest 
    some bucks in making your guitar play and sound right.
    
    1. you probably need a g&p or fret job.
    2. you might need new machines.
    
    3. pickups......is the guitar a hollow body, semi hollow body, or solid
    body?    Go to a few stores, check out various types of guitars with
    various pickup [configurations, styles, etc...]  Try to match them to
    the best of your ability to your own guitar.  Keep in mind some of the
    pickups you choose could be too powerful for your guitar.  In your
    case, after you mentioning that your guitar was mega-low profile, 
    maybe all you need are a couple of good el-cheapo pickups.
    
    4. bridge....again match your guitar to something you feel is similar
    and choose a bridge accordingly.  
    
    5. re-wire......keep it simple, you probably want to do a little
    research on capacitors and you should change the output jack.
    
    6. clean that baby up, plug it in, and presto.....a big difference
       [hopefully]....but keep in mind you just took away the guitars
       originality.
    
    It may be cheaper, easier to buy a new guitar to your liking.  And then
    again, this project could be a lot of fun.  But I sincerely suggest
    that if your buying pickups, a bridge, and re-wiring a guitar.....
    seriously consider a fret job and new tuning machines!
    
    
    Let me know what you do.....
    
    
    
    Rick

    Thanks, Rick. I like your comment about el cheapo pickups, cheapskate
    that I am! Can you recommend any particular brand?
    
    BTW, the frets are OK, but maybe will need attention later. One thing I
    won't be changing is the machines (they are Schallers), as this guitar
    can take serious abuse without going out of tune.
    
    It's a solid body guitar, fairly small - not dissimilar in shape to the
    solid-bodied Rickenbaker i.e. It has a longish, funny-shaped top horn.
    
    At the moment, it plays right, but doesn't sound right (it's a bit thin
    and lacking definition) which is why I want to go down the new pickups
    route. The new bridge is a secondary consideration, as it does the job
    but just doesn't look too nice.
    
    Cheers,
    
    Bob

    You're Welcome......Yeah, I'm a skate too!
    
    Frets are ok on a 20 year old geetar?  You must be a light player.
    I usually gorilla my guitars thats why I ask.
    
    Schallers---now you're talking.
    
    Weird headstock----now you're talking----like a Goya Rangemaster?
    
    Solid Body similar to Rickenbacker......sound like a Paul Barth body
    style.  Similar to Magnatone, similar to Mosrite.....sounds cool!
    
    Bigsby?
    
    What's wrong with the bridge?  Is it just ugmo!  If it works well
    maybe you should leave it.  Otherwise get something with rollers.
    
    Nut.....Bone?  If plastic---change to bone, brass and all of that other
                   happy stuff is negative.
    
    Pickups.......cheap....yeah try Maxon pickups....made in the 60s in
    Japan....I know where to get brand new [never been used ones] that
    belonged to the famous Microfrets guitar company.  They sound good to
    me, and they're humbuckers.  My friend has them so I don't know just
    how much they are but I'm sure they are inexpensive.
    
    
    Let me know what you do.
    
    
    
    thanks, 
    
    
    Rick

    Frets are OK because basically I play acoustic and bass. my current
    band is the first I have played electric guitar in, so overall I
    haven't used the guitar a lot. Although it's about 20 years old, I've
    only had it about 10, and although the frets are slightly worn they
    seem to be no worse than when I got it; they're OK now, but will need
    doing in about another 10 years, probably. It's the top horn of the
    body that is long like a Rick (it looks more unbalanced than a Mosrite,
    though), the headstock is dead square like a Martin acoustic,
    three-on-a-side.
    
    The bridge is one of those that consists of one saddle per pair of
    strings, with a screw for adjusting intonation passing through the
    roller, and a smaller screw for adjusting string height. The main
    reason I'd like to change the bridge is that the rollers have a thread.
    The strings have to rest in the trough of the thread, which means the
    string spacing is very slightly out. I'm not too worried about the nut
    (which is plastic) as this guitar comes complete with zero-fret at no
    extra cost.
    
    Thanks for the recommendation on pickups.
    
    cheers,
    
    Bob